The Second International Forum of University Cities “Energy of the University for the Development of the City and the Region”, organized by TSU with the support of the Tomsk Region Administration, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, the Embassy of France in Russia, and the German Consulate General in Siberia, has begun. Management of leading universities and representatives of government and business from 25 countries have gathered at Tomsk State University to discuss ways of transforming universities into centers of innovation that contribute to the economic and social development of regions.

Among the participants in the forum are Nicolas J.A Buchoud, the well-known urbanist from France, the head of REC of Urban Studies and Regional Development of TSU; Juha Kaskinen, Director, Finland Futures Research Centre, Turku School of Economics, University of Turku (Finland); Dr. Eduardo Lopez Moreno, Director of Research and Capacity Development, hHead of “The City Prosperity Initiative”, United Nations Human Settlements Programme – UN-Habitat; Tatiana Schofield, Head of Knowledge Exchange at the Royal College of Art (the UK); and other experts.

- Today, all cities are facing one big challenge: They need to gain a foothold on the modern economic map of the world, - said Eduard Galazhinsky, TSU’s Rector. - Areas that can effectively produce world-class knowledge and quickly convert them into innovations and useful innovations, are a key priority that determines today the welfare of countries and nations.

As Eduard Galazhinsky emphasized, to reach success, it is necessary that science, business, and power go in one bundle. This model, which is called the “triple helix”, helps to achieve the maximum efficiency. Developing a strategy and determining the role of everyone in this interaction is difficult; therefore, for three days, TSU has become an international platform where representatives of 60 Russian and international universities, with leading world experts in urban, scientific, and technological development, along with government authorities and business people, will formulate the development of university cities in different regions of the world.

During lectures, workshops, and discussions, experts will try to find the answer to many questions: How to build a collaboration of government, business, and university to transform the economy of the city and the region? How to transform the campus of the university into a place that attracts companies and is a new type of city space? What kind of an environment do universities need to cultivate experimental solutions to actual environmental and urban problems?

- Universities can play a key role in the development of regions, and they must consciously assume responsibility for the place, the area in which they are located, - said Eduard Galazhinsky. - Our task is to stop the outflow of human capital and make an environment comfortable for attracting talents, because in old environments it is impossible to solve new tasks.

On the first day of the forum, TSU and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) signed a memorandum of intent. The parties will collaborate in innovations in education and science. Joint projects created under the memorandum will be aimed at studying Siberian and Arctic territories and developing a strategy for their successful development.

More information about the Second International Forum of University Cities “Energy of the University for the Development of the City and the Region” is available at http://unicityforum.com/en/